As I wrote about earlier, I was about to participate in my first ever 5K - The Color Vibe 5K. Some have asked for an update as to how it went so here goes.
First off it was freezing cold that morning, and very windy. It was an icy cold that cut down to the bone. So that wasn't terribly encouraging. But myself and our little group forged on. I was really excited. What I wasn't expecting was differing terrains - some of the course was paved, some on rough grass, some dirt...a little bit of everything. I wasn't sure how my body would react to it since I've only ever been on the treadmill on account of me being the only one home weekday evenings with my babies.
Anyway, after some jamming Zumba music and getting our bodies somewhat warmed up, and some colorful powder throwing, it was time to start the race. We were in the second wave and I had my earbuds in and ready, and my stopwatch set up on my phone. Suddenly we were off, and I started out great. I was doing a good pace and so excited. I think my excitement helped keep me going. Once I hit the first mile or so I was getting worn out. It was hard!! Even a little harder than I thought it might be. I had to stop here and there and power-walk (yup, just like the little old ladies at a mall LOL), but I listened to my body and did my best. It felt like the course just went on and on forever. I will be the first to admit I walked any up-hill areas and jogged the downhill parts, haha!! It was a little tough having to strategically jog inbetween people. Honestly I think seeing other people jogging/running next to me really helped me stay motivated and positive! Boy when I reached the finish line I was SO done. I was exhausted, my shins hurt bad (probably from the shock of jogging on hard ground), and my muscles were spent. When I mustered up what tiny bit of energy I had left to job across that finish line it was a HUGE feeling of accomplishment and pride. My time was awesome - way better than anything I'd done on the treadmill - but due to the course I don't know if I really did a full 3 miles. I finished in just under 39 minutes which is far under the 50 I had set as a goal. It felt really awesome knowing I accomplished completing my first 5K.
Was it life-changing? Not really. Life has gone on as it has but I now have a small addiction and would like to pursue doing at least 2 5Ks a year. My next one, God willing, will be the Run into the Wild 5K at the animal sanctuary in early June. My kids make it extremely hard for me to find time to get on the treadmill but I'll do what I can. It's all I can do. For now I'm focusing all my energy on this upcoming DietBet thing. This is a first for me as well and knowing how extremely tight we are on money right now I desperately need to win. I am going to need a lot of help and support - I need to lose almost 9 lbs in 4 weeks and that terrifies me. I can do that in 2 months maybe but just one? Eek.